UNITED KINGDOM
BBC News
By Sanchia Berg
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
A major inquiry has been launched into how historical allegations of child abuse were handled. The UK’s National Archives contain some appalling examples of abuse at children’s homes and approved schools from decades past.
In 1952 the Home Office gave clear guidance to managers of these schools – saying they had a duty to report allegations of crimes, including “indecent practices”, to the police.
But the files show that didn’t always happen.
The files – dealing with cases that the Home Office was alerted to – show how abuse was not taken as seriously as today, and how at least one institution wanted to allow a convicted abuser to return to work with children after his sentence had been completed.
All of the cases in these files deal with attacks on boys at homes or schools. Approved schools – somewhere between a children’s home and a youth detention centre – were disproportionately male. …
If you’ve been affected…
… the following organisations can help:
* The police if you have evidence of having suffered sexual abuse so an investigation can be made
* NSPCC charity specialises in child protection
* National Association for People Abused in Childhood offers support, advice and guidance to adult survivors of any form of childhood abuse
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